Motor-cycle horn.



E. H. OVERHOLT.

MOTOR CYCLE HORN.

nruouxox rmm ROV.11,1013.

1,128,816, Patented Feb.16, 1915.

WITNESSES EDWARD H. OVERHOLT, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

MOTOR-CYCLE HORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed November 11, 1913. Serial No. 800,316.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Eownao H. Oven- HOLT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Motor-Cycle Horn, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of audible signals in which adiaphragm is caused to rapidly vibrate in order to produce an alarm.

The front frame or part of a motorcycle vibrates with relation to therear frame or part thereof. It is as desirable that the alarm on thisclass of machines be mounted at the front as it is that they be socarried on automobiles. And so far as my knowledge extends, no hornhaving means readily and conveniently actuable by the rider, and mountedon the front fork of a motorcycle has been devised. The problem whichhas confronted inventors has been to provide flexible manually operablemeans for causing the sound producing means to operate.

One object of the invention is, therefore, to provide flexible meanswhereby the sound-producing means is set in operation.

Another object is to provide novel means cooperating with a milled-edgewheel for causing an increased number of vibrations during each movementof the wheel.

It is an object to provide a cap or cover for the diaphram and itsoperatin mechanism which not only shields them from the elements andfrom dust and other foreign matter, but which is )ossessed of suchacoustic properties as will direct the sound waves toward and out of themouth of the horn.

It is an object to provide for adjustments of the co-acting means forcausing the vitrations of the diaphragm, not only to provide for theproduction of sound waves of greater or lesser intensity or volume, butin order also to rovide against wear.

As ordinarily constructed and mounted, horn-diaphragms are prone tocrystallization at their centers-that point being the one where theflexing and rellexing movements are produced.

It is a further object to so construct one at least of the anvil securinelements which is in contact with said diap liragm that danger ofcrystallisation is lessened, if not eliminated.

That the mechanism constituting the means above recited be durable,strong, economic of manufacture, and efficient in operation is a primerequisite, and to provide mechanism of that character for carrying outthese ends constitutes still another object.

Minor objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements and arrangements and disposition of the partsfor eo-action, the scope of which will be pointed out in the claimshereof.

It will be manifest that notwithstanding I have referred to the deviceas a motorcycle-horn that term has been used primarily because of theespecial adaptability to a motorcycle of the flexible cord or othersimilar means for operating the corrugated wheel, and that it may beused in connection with automobiles, bicycles, boats, marine-protectionstations, or in fact, in any and all places where sound waves arerequired to travel considerable distances. In the accompanying drawings,which illustrate two forms of alarms in which my invention may beincorporated: Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view, partly inelevation, the plane of section being taken in the line 11 in Fig. 3;Fig. 2, a similar view, the plane of section being taken in the line 22in Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a rear end view, the cap removed; Fig. I, a detail;Fig. 5, a sectional view, similar to Fig. 1, seen from the oppositedirection and showing another structure for imparting flexing movementsto the diaphragm, and Fig. 6, a detail.

Coming now to a detailed description of said drawings, and consideringeach element and part thereof, (where necessary) by a distinguishingreference numeral, uniformly employed, 2 designates a diaphragm securedbetween casing rin s or annuli 3, 4, provided respectively withperipheral flanges 5, 6 having corresponding openings for the1'CCC)tlOI1 of screw-bolts 7 which are engaged y nuts 8, whereby thedisk is firmly held in position.

1 indicates a resonator or horn-bell, shown as frictionally engaging anannular flange 10 on the outer end of the casing ring 4.

11 indicates an anvil or diaphragm agitater. In Figs. 1 and 2 this isshown as a chisel-point having a stem penetrating the center of thediaphragm 2.

12 designates an angular washer seated beneath the head of the anvil,and 13 designates a similarly shaped washer (see Fig. 4:) seated on thestem thereof, the disk being intermediate said washers.

1-1 desi nates a binding nut.

My ob ect in making the washers 12 and 13 angular rather than circular(as heretofore made) and ositioning them in non-registering positions isto prevent crystallization of the diaphragm-a result found with greatfrequency when circular washers are employed, for inasmuch as theflexing and rellexing of the diaphragm is constantly at the periphery ofthe washers, the continued vibrations soon tend to producecrystallization.

The ring 3 is provided with ears 16, 17, having apertures 18, 19,respectively. The aperture 19 provides a bearing for one end of a shaft20 the other end of which passes loosely through the elongated apertureor slot 18 and is mounted in a bearing 21 in an L-shaped adjustingbracket 22 provided in its long arm with a slot 23, and in its short armwith an aperture for the passage of a set-screw .21 adapted to engage anut 25 seated beneath the body portion of the ring 3.

26 designates a set-screw passed through the slot in the long arm of thebracket and through a corresponding eye in the end of the ear l6, and 27is a nut threaded on the stem thereof, whereb the bracket 22 is securedto the car 16 after adjustments of the screw 24 to adjust said bracketand thereby similarly move the shaft 20. By thus adjusting the bracketand thereby the means for imparting impulses to the anvil and thereby tothe diaphragm, the amount of ilexure imparted to the latter may beregulated to cause sound-waves of greater or less intensity to be set inmotion, as desired, for use in cities or in the country. Fixed in anypreferred manner on said shaft 20 is a wheel '28 having on its edge orperiphery any suitable corrugations. Suitably secured on said shaft (orit may be to the wheel 28) is a spool. 29 to which one end of a cord 3'2or other flexible and windable means is secured, whereby rotary movementin one direction may be imparted to said spool and thereby to the wheel28.

30 indicates a coil spring, one end of which is secured to the ring 3and its other end to an eye 31 secured to the wheel 28. The coils of thespring 30 are so arranged that their number will be increased and the sring thereby tensioned, or energy stored t ierein, when the cord 82 isdrawn outward or unwound from the spool, and it will be evident thatwhen the cord is released by the operator, the energy stored in saidspring will impart to the wheel, spool and shaft rotary motion in adirection contrary to that above recited. These reciprocatoryrotationsof the wheel 28 will cause the anvil 11 to be vibrated as it isalternately forced forward by reason of the contacts of the wheel-teethpoints and as the diaphragm, which was flexed by said contacts, reflexesand returns the anvil 11 to its normal position into the spaces betweenthe teeth. The combined areas of the wheel teeth which come intofrictional contact with the point of the anvil 11 are very much greaterthan the area of the latter, which therefore wears much more rapidly. Inorder that its life may be doubled, I make it much greater in width thanis the wheel in thickness, in order that when one side becomes worn itmay be reversed and a new agitator-face presented to the wheel.

35 designates a cap or cover, a hemispherical cup in outline, adapted tofit over a ortion of the casing ring 3 and preferab y secured thereon byscrews 36.

37 designtes an eye registering with an opening in the cap 35, to whichit is suita lv secured.

The concavity of the cap acts in the capacity of a sounding board, andit deflects the sound waves into and through the bell or horn 1 fromwhich they emerge with inten' sity.

Reference is now had to Fig. 5, in which the elements identical with orvery like those illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 have beencorrespondingly numbered. 40 designates a vibrating arm, the threadedend of which passes through the diaphragm and is engaged by angular nuts42 and 14. Tln other end of said arm engages an escapement dog oragitator 43 fulcrumed on t stud in 44 carried by the car 17, which llthis gure is shown as somewhat extended The wheel 28 now acts as anescapemen wheel, and the two impulses imparted b the action of thealternate ends of the es capement dog will cause the diaphragm t bevibrated with extreme rapidity, where by sound waves of great volume andinter sitv are produced.

he cord 32 provides an extremely flex ble' means for actuating the spooland froi it the diaphragm. The signal (or horn being carried on thefront frame of a moto cycle, and the outer end of said cord a tached toany part of the rear frame, tl first recited frame may be turned at wiand as desired without materially aifectir the mechanism. It (the cord)may l drawn from any direction, and even a quit blow against it willcause the wheel 28 vibrate the diaphragm. When the device used with oron any sort of vehicle, the co may be secured to any convenient porti orslightly therebeyond and thereof, and it may be sufficiently long to beoperated by a person in the rear-seat or one at the side of the driver.

It has not been thought necessary or best to encumber this specificationand the accompanying drawing with descriptions and illustrations ofadditional modifications which are neither necessary to nor form anypart of the invention. In fact, it is apparent without such thatnumerous changes may be made in the details of construction and bymodifications involving merely mechanical skill, without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention, viewed in its broadest aspect.All this will be indicated in the claims hereof, wherein the omission ofan element or the non-inclusion of reference to the detail features ofthe elements recited is intended to be a formal declaration of the factthat the omitted elements or features are not essential to the inventioncovered by that claim.

Therefore, without limiting myself to particularities, except in suchclaims as they are specifically pointed out, I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent the following, to-wit:

1. Combined in a device of the class described, a rotatable shaft, aspool fixed thereon, a cord wound on the spool for imparting movement inone direction thereto, a spring encircling the shaft, for impartingcontrary movement to said spool, 0. diaphragm, an anvil engaging it, awheel secured on said shaft and adapted to impart vibratory movement tosaid anvil, and means for adjustim one end of said shaft toward or fromsaid diaphragm.

2. Combined in a device of the class described, a rotatable shaft, aspool fixed thereon, a cord wound on the spool for imparting movement inone direction thereto, a. spring Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor encircling the shaft, for imparting contrary movement to said spool,a diaphragm, an anvil engaging it, a wheel secured on said shaft andadapted to impart movements to said anvil, a shell having an ear inwhich one end of the shaft is mounted, and means for adjusting the otherend of said shaft toward or from said diaphragm.

3. In a device of the character described, an annular casing-ring, adiaphragm the edge of which is secured thereto, an anvil removablysecured to said diaphragm, a cord-actuated wheel having a milledperiphery adapted for engagement with said anvil, a shaft on which saidwheel is secured, and means for adjustin one end of said shaftrelatively to said diaphragm.

4. In a device of the character described, an annular casing ring, adiaphragm the edge of which is secured thereto, an anvil arranged at thecenter of said diaphragm, a shaft, a wheel secured on said shaft andadapted to actuate said anvil, a spool secured on said shaft, a springcoiled on said shaft, one of its ends engaged with a fixed portion ofthe horn and its other end with said spool, a cord wound on said spooland adapted to store energy in said spring, whereby when the cord isreleased said spring will impart reverse movement to said spool andthereby to said wheel, and means for adjusting one end of said shaftrelatively to said diaphragm.

In witness whereof, I hereto afiix my signature, at Galesburg, Illinois,this 8th day of November, 1913, in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

EDWARD H. OVERHOLT.

Witnesses:

ALVAH S. GREEN, Rosa SANBURG.

Washington, D. 0."

